The Eagles were back practicing down at the NovaCare Complex today for what was to be their seventh day of Training Camp. Here is all you need to know.
Injury updates
Good news for Alex Singleton fans! The linebacker made his training camp debut today after missing the first chunk of the summer due to being placed on the COVID/reserve list. Andrew Adams was also activated today and injured DB Nate Meadors was waived in a corresponding move.
While Singleton was unable to get on the field right away, Adams was intent to make up for lost time. Signed to replace the special teams void left by Rudy Ford, this is the kind of thumping play that will be needed if he is to expand his role on the team.
Jimmy Kempski tweeted out the full injury report here:
It’s nice seeing Ryan Kerrigan return after picking up an injury, but Davion Taylor’s absence could be a worrying one. The second-year linebacker had earned rave reviews through the opening week of camp. With Singleton back in the fold, his injury couldn’t come at a worse time. He’ll need a big preseason outing to prove his worth.
Unsurprisingly, the Eagles gave an off-day to veterans following a 100-minute padded practice on Tuesday.
Hurts up and down
It was a day of ups and downs for Jalen Hurts today, who went from throwing a poorly placed pass into the hands of JaCoby Stevens (great look for the rook), to tossing a thundering 40-yard bomb to John Hightower.
The fact he rebounded so quickly is encouraging, and we already know that Hurts can sling it. The big thing here is building consistency. If Hurts can gradually iron out those throws over the course of the next few weeks, with the help of a very intense coaching staff, then he should be well-prepared to shine during the regular season.
The intense coaching staff
We know that Nick Sirianni is a high-energy guy. We know he’s hands on with his players. But what we didn’t know, especially after reports stating people believed he’d be ‘walked over’, is that he had the ability to really turn it up a notch.
Jalen Reagor experienced that first-hand today. The second-year wideout looked sloppy in a second-team rep and was absolutely ripped into by Sirianni and one other Eagles coach.
That kind of intensity should only breed success, and it’s really refreshing to see after what looked like a fairly calm string of summers under Doug Pederson by comparison. If there’s one way to iron out complacency, this is it…and after the copious amounts of it fans endured last season, I’m here for it.
As far as Reagor goes, this isn’t ideal. He’s endured a lot this offseason but did fail a conditioning test and while the coaches have expressed support for the second-year wideout, they may be ready to come down on him a bit harder to encourage development.
CB1
After a run of impressive practices, rookie CB Zech McPhearson got his moment in the sun. With Darius Slay down, the man who batted down 4 passes yesterday alone was lined up at the CB1 spot. This is important considering that previously, as BLG notes, Michael Jacquet was used as the team’s top backup CB. If the Eagles are comfortable using the shorter corner on the outside, then this could be a real sign of long-term confidence that he can expand beyond the nickel role and one day be an outside corner to lean on. Which, given their lack of long-term options, is key.
Photo by Kyle Ross/Icon Sportswire
